With risks of lung, mouth and esophagus diseases, among others, smoking needs to come to an end in the lives of teenagers and adults. It causes all of your clothes, hair and breath to smell bad.  Your teeth will even start to turn yellow. It can take just one puff to become addicted to the nicotine, and once you’re addicted, it takes over your life. You’ll constantly be craving the relaxing sensation that the nicotine sends to your brain, but that will only last for a couple minutes because once it wears off, your brain will be craving it more and more.

Teenagers these days have the power to finally end the smoking trend. We should want to, because not only is it disgusting, but it could possibly end lives as well.

According to www.hhs.gov, approximately 4.7 million middle and high school students were current tobacco users in 2015. For 12th graders, that is 6 percent which is 19 percent less than the 25 percent peak, back in 1997. Also, out of combined 8th, 10th, and 12th graders, the percentage of those that smoke has declined by more than half. This is proof that our generation is finally realizing the harmful effects that smoking has on our body, and they are finally quitting and destroying the tobacco company.

You can argue how people can quit smoking by using electronic cigarettes, but those can be just as bad for you. Since it’s straight nicotine, it can go straight to your brain and impact the crave of the nicotine even more. Also, the electronic cigarettes are way more expensive than regular cigarettes, so it makes sense as to why addicts would rather spend $5 for a pack of cigarettes than $80 for an electronic one.

According to www.pamf.org, smoking and secondhand smoking kills more people than AIDS, alcohol, drugs, car crashes, murders, suicides and fires combined. So just by smoking, you can literally kill yourself and your loved ones around you. Also, a third of adolescents that just “experiment” with smoking one time can become addicted by the time they are 20.

Teen smoking, and smoking in general, needs to absolutely come to an end. It’s one of if not the, nastiest thing ever invented. People say that it “relieves stress.” There are so many other healthier things to do to relieve stress. Go for a run, go workout, read a book or listen to music. Those things are positive.